Given the consistent strength of
The Mavericks
' back catalog, compiling a single-disc "best-of" collection that gives an accurate picture of their music has been something of a challenge, so
Gold
has one key advantage over the other
Mavericks
anthologies
MCA
/
Universal
has released in the past -- with close to two-and-a-half hours of music spread over two CDs,
offers
the Mavericks
' story writ large, and there's no question their material merits the attention.
offers plenty of representative selections (seven each) from the band's four
studio albums, as well as cuts from the 1998 live set
It's Now! It's Live!
, a few single sides, compilation and
soundtrack
appearances, and import-only bonus tracks that receive stateside release for the first time on this set. While the rare material helps make this a near-definitive
set, it also means loyal fans will be buying a lot of songs they already own to get some worthy rarities, such as the
surf
-flavored
Trampoline
outtake
"Panatella,"
and the groovy cover of
"A World Without Love"
from a German collection. But if you're only going to buy one
album in your lifetime,
is probably the one to get -- for a change, the band's unique blend of
honky tonk
swing
(
"There Goes My Heart"
),
rockabilly
spunk (
"Hey Good Lookin'"
Latin
swagger (
"Dance the Night Away"
countrypolitan
shuffle (
"Foolish Heart"
), vintage
pop
smoothness (
"Dream River"
), and sophisticated modern
country
"What a Crying Shame"
) is given the room to show off all its accents, and
Raul Malo
's vocals and songwriting are in stellar form throughout (while
Robert Reynolds
and
Paul Deakin
lend equally excellent support).
were one of the best and most unique acts to scale the
charts in the '90s, and while the albums
,
Music for All Occasions
What a Cryin' Shame
are all well-worth owning,
does a splendid job of boiling their essence down into one fine collection, and it's a splendid overview of the band's first decade. ~ Mark Deming